A bill of entry has been submitted for the clearance of a Bhutan-bound consignment under the first experimental transit operation using Bangladesh’s territory.
The consignment – containing mineral water, fruits, and sugar – was brought to Chattogram Port and the clearance process began on Saturday, according to the Chittagong Custom House.
Customs documents list the shipment’s contents as “waters, including mineral and aerated waters, non-alcoholic Lifton Ice Tea Peach, other dried fruit, and sugar confie.”
According to the National Board of Revenue (NBR), Thailand-based Abit Trading Co. Ltd is the exporting company, while the importer in Bhutan is also Abit Trading—indicating both parties are under the same ownership structure.
Chattogram Custom House spokesperson HM Kabir told TIMES of Bangladesh that the consignment has already reached the port. “The bill of entry was submitted on Saturday. Customs clearance will now proceed as per regulations,” he said.
The goods arrived at Chattogram Port aboard the Bangladesh-flagged vessel HR Hera, which operates on the Chattogram–Singapore–Port Klang route.
Meanwhile, information from the Ministry of Commerce and NBR indicates that the 15-ton trial consignment will travel from Chittagong Port to Bhutan via the Burimari land port and through Indian territory between November 22 and 24.
For this trial transit, Bangladesh has set specific fees and charges for Bhutan. These include:
Document processing fee is Tk 30 per consignment, transshipment fee Tk 20 per ton, security charge Tk 100 per tonne, escort fee Tk 85 per km per container, administrative charge Tk 100 per tonne, scanning fee Tk 254 per container.
Additionally, road tolls and corridor charges will be determined by the Ministry of Road Transport and Bridges.
If the trial run is successful, Bhutan – being a landlocked South Asian nation—will be able to use Chittagong Port regularly for transporting goods over a 684-kilometer corridor across Bangladesh.
Bangladesh and Bhutan earlier signed the Agreement on the Movement of Traffic-in-Transit and its protocol on 22 March 2023. Before the 2024 national elections.
Bangladesh had also completed four trial runs under a separate transit agreement with India. However, despite expectations of progress, no visible steps were taken toward implementation after the change of government.
